2026 24v buck feed upgrade

[MartinMueller2003]

In the past, I had 6 24v to 5v buck converters in a box with a lot of wires running back to the boxes (26 boxes). A bit of a mess and not fun to install or maintain. Lots of cut wire sections connected via screw terminals, each needing an expansion loop and looking messy.

• New for 2026. I run a single 16AWG SPT cord along the back of a PVC pipe. My son designed and printed a vampire like enclosure. 1st picture. The SPT wire passes through without being cut. There is a seperator keeping the wire apart internally. We have a wire stripper that removes a small section of the insulation. A pigtail to a connector is soldered to the exposed wire. The inside is then filled with a sealant / glue and the top cover is applied.

• 2nd picture. I have moved to the automotive sealed connector because these are going to be exposed at all times. While corrosion X gun oil works great on my old jst connectors, the jst connectors have started to fail after 10+ years. I had to replace them anyway, so I went with these hoping I get more than 10 years out of them.

• 3rd picture. I am using the relatively cheap adjustable buck converters. These are good because I run my pixels at 6v. The bucks have a heat sink glued to them and then they are dipped in conformal coating. Effectively. the bucks can run under water (yes we tested it). These bucks are attached to a printed base that provides strain relief for the wires, a hole on the back to give a hot spot on the board good access to air flow and gives us an easy way to velcro them to my PVC.

 

[dirknerkle]

So you're running 24vdc through the SPT wire and then tapping off of it to an adjustable DC-DC converter and then to your lights at 6vdc? Sounds like a pretty good solution. I use those DC-DC converters a lot... Conformal coating is a good idea, too but it may burn off after a time if left to the sun's exposure.

I see you're using clear zip ties -- are they UV stabilized? I haven't found any that are....I'm probably looking in the wrong places....

 

[MartinMueller2003]

I am not using UV stabilized zip ties.

Since the zip ties and the bucks are on the back side of the pipe and the pipe is up under the eves, none of those components get direct sunlight. I have found that if the zipties do not get direct sunlight they last in excess of 8 years until they start to become brittle.

FYI: The same zip ties are used on my spiral trees. They are exposed to direct sunlight. I find I have to repair / replace the strips on the trees well before I have to replace the zip ties.